If I miss a shot, so what? Maybe even a shot that could have won a game. I can deal with that. If I don’t miss the shot, then I don’t miss it — we win. I can rationalize the fact that there are only two outcomes: You either make it, or you miss it. I could think that way because I knew I had earned the opportunity to take that shot.

Notice the lack of concern about the outcome — Michael Jordan has moved past the fear of failure, past the fear about what might happen. We can debate how clutch Kobe Bryant is, but Kobe is in that same mental place — he wants and feels he has earned that shot, and if he misses he will take the next one without hesitation. Kobe or MJ may miss, but they don’t think about the outcome, it’s being in that moment.

In the NBA finals (certainly not against the Bulls, however), in the big moments LeBron seemed to be thinking about the outcome not the shot. He was not in the moment. That may or may not have anything to do with preparation — Jordan talks about how he worked to feel as prepared as he could for that moment; LeBron works at his game, whether or not he really feels prepared for that moment is impossible for anyone but him to say.

But that is the step LeBron has to take, however he does it. It an ironic twist, he is not going to get the outcome he wants until he can move past thinking about the outcome. That is the lesson Jordan can teach.

In the Eastern Conference playoffs against Chicago and Boston, LeBron seemed to have the attitude that Jordan had. He demanded the ball down the stretch and delivered. The biggest reason the Heat were able to defeat the team with the best record in the NBA in the ECF was because LeBron was fearless and devastatingly efficient in the 4th quarter of those games.

But then something went wrong in the finals. He became more passive, focusing more on defense and passing. This approach worked when the Heat won games 1 and 3, but clearly cost them the game in games 4 and 5 on the road.

The next time LeBron makes it to the finals, he just has to resolve to be more assertive. Demand the ball. We know he has it in him because he did this brilliantly VS Boston and Chicago.

He failed in june this year. That doesn’t mean he won’t succeed in the future, though. A perfect role model for LeBron going forward is the man who beat him – Dirk.

Dirk failed in the finals 2006 in humiliating fashion, but he became mentally tougher over time and eventually won it all. There is a good chance that LeBron can do the same thing.